“Deep and Wide” – Andy Stanley (a review and collection of quotes)

If you know the basis for the title, you are most likely among those who need to read this book the most. While I believe that Andy wrote the book for point leadership people within the church, I found a plethora of applications for life and business. It is a work of genius. Andy follows his own advice for speaking in this writing. He drew me in with a personal story of which I had often wondered, but knew very little. Having been a pastor’s son myself, I connected and felt the tension. I do believe, however, that the authenticity with which the story was told would have captured me even if I didn’t have the personal connection. From there, practical advice was given at every turn of the page. The great thing is that it doesn’t stop there. Andy is bold enough to assume that some will desire to take his advice and willingly offers his blueprint for implementation.

I am lucky (a.k.a. “blessed” in common kirche lingo) to be part of a gathering (a.k.a. “church”…) where a similar culture to NorthPoint is cultivated; nonetheless, many fresh thoughts have been generated. An even greater benefit has been how easily I have been able to translate these ideas to personal, family and business life. I am thankful for what Andy has shared. I recommend this book for two types of people – (1) those with a desire lead an effective life, and (2) those who do not yet realize they should have a desire to lead an effective life. Most everyone is a point-leader in some area of life. If even a small percentage of those individuals would take and apply the learnings of this book, our homes, families, businesses, friendships, churches, communities, cities, nation and world would change for the better. God’s work of redemption may have began on the cross, but is being carried out through us. And, in case you have been misinformed, redemption involves so much more than the spirit and soul of man; it’s a matter involving all of creation. This book is a great tool for equipping the called. “Thy kingdom come!”

Here are a few quotes to take with you (quoted without express permission):

“Blessed is the man who gets the opportunity to devote his life to something bigger than himself and who finds himself surrounded by friends who share his passion. In this way, I have been disproportionately blessed.”

“As leaders, we are never responsible for filling everyone else’s cup. Our responsibility is to empty ours.”

“And since people who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus, people who are nothing like Jesus should like us as well. There should be something about us that causes them to gather at the periphery and stare”

“Beginning empty-handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them.”

“They knew what could and should be. They didn’t need vision; they just needed permission.”

“Obey God and leave all the consequences to him.” – Charles Stanley

“Cruelty wore a cross around its neck.”

“As it turned out, the kirche of man could not cantain the ekklesia of Jesus.”

“the casualty in church for church people is grace… The casualty in liberal churches is truth.”

“We are not mistakers in need of correction. We are sinners in need of a Savior.”

“do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.”

“the church is the most appealing when the message of grace is most apparent.”

“God’s grace is only as visible as God’s truth is clear.”

“It is pointless to tell me I’m forgiven if I’m not sure why I need forgiveness in the first place.”

“Actions don’t only speak louder than words; actions should be used to interpret words.”

“we determined that faith is what grows in a growing relationship. Specifically, a person’s confidence in God. Confidence that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he has promised to do.”

“Just as humankind’s relationship with God was destroyed through lack of faith, so it would be restored through an expression of the same.”

“Intimate relationships are not built on obedience. They are build on trust. Walking by faith, again, is simply living as if God is who he says he is and that he will do everything he has promised to do.”

“People are far more interested in what works than what’s true.”

“Bring me your limited education, your lack of experience, along with your fear and insecurity, and watch what I can do.” – Jesus as paraphrased by Andy

“If you capture someone’s heart, you will eventually get his hands and feet as well.” – this matches my personal game plan for parenting

“Two things make a relationship providential: when we hear from God through someone and when we see God in someone.”

“God often showcases his power on the stage of human weakness.”

“if you like what’s happening, document your process so you don’t accidentally drift from it.”

“Environments are the messages before the message.”

“Embracing an agreed upon standard of excellence is how you create a culture. More specifically, it is how you create a culture of excellence.”

“The desire to create order from chaos is a vestige of the thumbprint of God on our souls.”

“Being organized is not enough. You must appear to be organized.”

“In politics it is not enough to do good. You must be seen doing good.” – Fred Thompson

“It is a sin to bore a child with the Word of God.” – Howard Hendricks

“moral purity paves the way to intimacy”

“you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – Jesus

“it’s useless to know something if you don’t know what to do with it.”

“Knowledge alone makes Christians haughty. Application makes us holy.

“As in all things, purpose should determine approach… it’s what we do, not what we purposed to do , that defines our lives and reputations.”

“The journey must begin where I am, not where you are or where you think I should be.” – great advice for leading others

“Create tension and you’ve created interest.”

“You may be right. You may make your point. But you won’t make a difference.”

“Our goal isn’t to create an environment that is ‘set apart from the world.’ We are up to something way more significant than that. We want to change the world.”

“creativity is never the goal of a service programming team. The goal is to leverage creativity for the sake of the win.”

“When people are convinced you want something FOR them rather than something FROM them, they are less likely to be offended when you challenge them.”

“Where a communicator begins the journey determines who will follow.”

“Jumping all over the Bible illustrates how smart you are. It rarely enhances an audience’s understanding of or love for the Scriptures.”

“Few things discredit the church more in the minds of unbelievers than when it holds them accountable to a standard they never acknowledged to begin with.”

“if people are going to reject the message of Christianity, let’s make sure they are rejecting the actual message and not some poor caricature.”

“don’t talk about it like it is a divinely inspired book. It’s not. It is a collection of divinely inspired manuscripts.”

“Every innovation has an expiration date.”

“New ideas are generally considered bad ideas.”

“Any system will in consciously conspire to maintain the status quo and prevent change.” – James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

“I was thirty-eight.” Andy’s age when he left First Baptist of Atlanta to start NorthPoint. That’s how old I am right now. It’s not too late!

“shared vision is the key to bringing about change.”

“The most ineffective way to begin a conversation about change is to talk about what needs to change.”

“questions are transgenerational, the answers are not.”

“The assumptions a team has held the longest or the most deeply are likeliest to be its undoing.”

“knowing the Bible does not a leader make.”

“Yes, God uses the uneducated to confound the wise. But that doesn’t make ignorance a virtue.”

“To hold up the exceptions as the rule is not only foolish, it’s unbiblical.”